Chapter 1998: Who Endures and Who Doesn't

The main camp of Guo’s army was located at Luofengtan. The camp was situated on high ground, and from his vantage point, Guo Baiyu looked down at Miancheng, which was not far away. From there, he could clearly see the guards pacing back and forth on the city walls.

It had been over two months, yet these people seemed to gain more vigor with each passing day, which Guo Baiyu found hard to understand. He recalled how, in the past, when he followed Dan Zerong to reclaim cities captured by the Luodian people—even though the Luodian were known for their bravery and skill in battle—they would collapse if besieged for more than half a month. In a siege, the besieged side rapidly depleted not only food, weapons, and medicine but also lives! Whenever a siege lasted too long, some people in the city would mysteriously disappear. Those who survived were usually emaciated and weak. Not like the people of Miancheng!

Although they had successfully seized provisions outside the city a while ago, the fear of Guo Baiyu should have been deeply ingrained in them. Why could they still resist so stubbornly? It defied logic.

Guo Baiyu knew perfectly well the nature of the people and the wars on the Shan Jin Plain. The people here were wild-hearted yet fickle, always adhering to the idea of “where there’s life, there’s hope,” and were extremely self-serving. To give a disheartening example, the local powerful clans and their armies who had recently flocked to his side from all directions were a true reflection of these "qualities." Shan Jin factions rose and fell quickly; who ruled made no difference to them. Only madmen among the common people would want to live and die with a city.

After besieging the city for over two months, the people of Miancheng still hadn't broken, but Guo Baiyu was losing patience. “We’ll launch a full assault when the timing is right—within the next night or two!” he declared, having made up his mind.

The supervisor behind him spoke up to stop him: “The time is not yet ripe!” As Guo Baiyu’s power grew, Tian Gong had assigned him a supervisor, whose role was to oversee and guide. This man had originally been a Green Guard under Protector Qing Yang and was fiercely loyal to her.

Guo Baiyu cast a sidelong glance at him. “Supervisor, when do you suggest is the best time for a full assault?”

“The Black Armored Army has not arrived. You must prioritize the Protector’s plan.”

“The Black Armored Army is dragging its feet; I don’t think they’ll arrive anytime soon. Wouldn’t it be better if I took Miancheng and then waited for them at the next city?”

The supervisor immediately replied, “Miancheng has resisted for so long. The more suffering and hardship they endure, the louder their pleas for help to the Great Emperor Jiu You will be, and the greater the Black Armored Army’s rescue efforts will be. Otherwise, with rampant warfare across the so-called Dragon God’s territory and our side having many formidable forces sweeping through, He Xiao’s attention might not even prioritize this place.” “Our side,” as he referred to it, naturally meant the Shan Jin powerful clans who had reached an agreement with Tian Gong.

Guo Baiyu enjoyed hunting and knew a method for hunting wolves and bears: breaking a cub’s leg and leaving it in a trap. The cub’s cries would quickly attract the large bear or wolf. The supervisor quickly continued, “He Xiao’s army is intensifying its training, while your mission remains unfulfilled.”

Guo Baiyu frowned. “I’m not the only one entrusted with important tasks by the Protector, am I? Why haven’t the others succeeded either?”

“You only need to do what’s within your purview. Why bother with others?”

Guo Baiyu chuckled dismissively. “Waiting like this isn’t a solution either. My subordinates are full of complaints; they don’t understand why I’m not launching a full assault. They’ve come from all over to join me; if I fail to take Miancheng after a prolonged siege, they’ll inevitably look down on me!” On the Shan Jin Plain, the strong were revered. Earlier, his attacks on the Dragon God’s territory were swift and decisive, which is why surrounding forces flocked to him, and Tian Gong even sent more reinforcements. But Miancheng had stubbornly blocked him for over two months; he couldn’t conquer it from the left or penetrate it from the right. Complaints in his army camp grew louder, saying that Guo Baiyu was all show and couldn’t take Miancheng. After leaving Yao State, he quickly understood the rules of Shan Jin. To ensure his subordinates’ obedience, he first had to make them both fear and respect him, with fear preceding respect. If they stopped fearing him, he would have to be very careful about his back. He couldn’t let his prestige be diminished by a mere Miancheng. Although Protector Qing Yang had a plan, Guo Baiyu had no intention of being a mere tool. Otherwise, he would become as helpless as Bai Tan, a mere pawn in the hands of the Heavenly Gods.

“As long as you defeat the Black Armored Army, who would dare to criticize you?”

“A general outside the capital is not bound by all military orders,” Guo Baiyu said, staring at the supervisor. “All these troubles throughout the army fall on me alone. I must attack this city; you cannot stop me.” This so-called “supervisor” relied on Tian Gong’s authority, but held no real power over him.

“I will report this to the Protector…”

“Then report it,” Guo Baiyu sneered. “What does it matter? By the time the Heavenly Gods and Tian Gong Protector find out, I’ll have finished this battle.” What attitude the Heavenly Gods held towards the mortal world, and towards Shan Jin, was unclear to those provincial Shan Jin warlords, but he, as a former general of Yao State, had seen through it. He once regarded the Divine Heaven as supreme, but after the destruction of Yao State and experiencing the Heavenly God’s support for Bai Tan, he understood that no matter how respectful he was to the Heavenly Gods, they would only treat him like a dog.

The supervisor said grimly, “If you dare to act against orders, you will not receive the Heavenly God’s assistance. The phrase ‘divine intervention’ is no joke; in a crucial moment, you will understand its weight.” Guo Baiyu understood; the other party was threatening him with the inability to use divine descent power. Taking Miancheng didn’t even require divine descent. However, he also didn’t want to offend the deities, lest he cut off his future path. He could only suppress his anger and say, “How about we take Miancheng first, then proceed to capture the four Zhuoshui regions? A while ago, Zhuoshui was secretly sending provisions to Miancheng. I hear the city warden there is a confidant of Great Emperor Jiu You; if they get hit, they should cry out even louder.” Staying here, the daily expenses were enormous. Tian Gong’s supervisor didn’t care about the costs, but Guo Baiyu himself was finding it hard to bear.

The supervisor turned and left. Several hours later, he finally told Guo Baiyu, “Very well.” Guo Baiyu knew he had communicated with the Heavenly God, immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and went to draw up the attack plan.

The first obstacle for Great Emperor Jiu You’s army entering Bixia was the Twin Forts. These were actually two fortresses, one on the east peak and one on the west, serving as mutual lookouts. In fact, the allied forces had previously captured the Twin Forts, but after General Chongwu returned to Bixia, he pushed the allied forces back a hundred li in one go and recaptured both the eastern and western forts.

Before launching his attack, He Lingchuan specifically called General Pei and asked, “How long did it take you to capture the Twin Forts back then?”

“Two and a half months,” the general replied. “The Twin Forts are situated on high ground, have strong walls, and provide mutual support.”

“So, what was the difficulty?”

Facing Great Emperor Jiu You was too much pressure; General Pei felt like wiping his brow. “The mountain road up is wide and not difficult, but there’s only one path, leading to the East Fort. To reach the West Fort, you first have to take the East Fort. But once we attacked the East Fort, the enemies in the West Fort would come to reinforce.”